Ocean Blue
by Eletoile
Summary: Progression of Gail and Holly's relationship starting with the end of season four episode thirteen and continuing from that point. Disclaimer: I own nothing except the mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

She realized she was running through the corridor to get to Gail. Gail was standing between two men, and she was clad in full uniform and jacket. She looked beyond worried and Holly wanted to be there as soon as possible to give Gail a shoulder to lean on. She wanted nothing more than to pull her into an embrace and tell her everything would be okay. However, she stopped her jog just short of crashing into Gail because she did not wish to force any contact upon Gail—she knew very well that was not the way Gail communicated. She could see that tears filled Gail's eyes. To her surprise, Gail immediately pulled her into a long and tight embrace. She quietly said, "I'm really glad you're here" before pulling herself out of the embrace. Holly showed her a lopsided grin and adjusted the glasses on her face as Gail introduced Holly to Chris and Steve. She very quietly said "Hi" and smiled at both of the men and then over to Gail. They made their way over to a bank of chairs in the waiting room and sat in silence. Holly was staring down at her shoes she felt a soft and somewhat chilly hand grasp hers. Gail looked at her out of the corner of her eye and bowed her head again waiting in anticipation for any news on Swarek's condition. Holly sat beside her, holding her hand tightly. She was Gail's stoic front at the moment—the only moment Gail was not completely falling apart after a few very bad days. When the doctor rounded the corner into the waiting area Frank jumped up to talk to him and the rest of the officers got to their feet, as well. Gail stood up reluctantly releasing Holly's warm hand and waited for the response. When it was decided that Andy would go back to see Sam Gail and Holly returned to their seats. "Did you drive your car here?" Gail whispered. "Yes" replied Holly softly. "I need you to get me out of here" Gail responded pleadingly. Holly nodded and reached into her pocket for her car keys. She stood up and pulled Gail up with her. They walked through the automatic double glass doors of the all-too-bright waiting room and into the darkness of the night.

Gail breathed a sigh of relief to get out of the hospital. Not because she did not care about what happened to her fellow officers, but because she was so mentally and physically drained. Gail opened the door and sat down in the passenger seat. Her brain seemed to have shut off for a moment because she suddenly heard, "…ail, Gail" which shook her back into consciousness. "Hmm?" she murmured back. "How do I get to your apartment? How do I get you home?" Gail sat for a moment in silence, seemingly contemplating this question with far too much thought. Holly patiently waited for her response in the driver's seat, giving Gail all the time she needed. "Just take me home." Gail finally responded. "I don't know how to get there from here…which is why I was asking" Holly responded unwearyingly. "No, I mean to your home. Please. I need you right now. I don't want to be alone." Gail responded with her head hung low staring at her hands which had begun fiddling with one another. Holly nodded and turned the key in the ignition and headed toward her apartment building. She let a silence settle over the car—knowing Gail needed it. She checked over to the passenger side of her car several times on the way home to ensure that Gail was all right. When she pulled into her designated parking spot next to her apartment unit she cut the engine. She noticed Gail still was not responding. Holly gingerly placed her right hang on top of Gail's balled up hands. Gail noticed her once freezing hands were now being covered up by a warm one and looked up from her legs and into Holly's eyes. Holly ventured to speak, "We're here, would you like to go inside now?" she asked tentatively. Gail merely nodded and removed her hands from the warm bundle to open her door. She stepped out into the cold Toronto air and proceeded around to the front of the car where she melt Holly who had just used her clicker to lock her car. The beep startled Gail and Holly smiled at her apologetically. She led Gail to the door of her unit and deftly unlocked it leading them into the building.

Gail stepped through the doorway and was immediately hit with the warmth of the apartment. "May I take your coat?" She heard Holly's question and slowly shrugged out of her coat. She felt as if she was removing a breastplate of armor. Her coat had been her safe zone throughout the day and she had never taken it off at the hospital either. Gail figured she did not need this safe zone any longer. She was safe with Holly and within the home that smelled of her. "Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?" Holly asked nervously. Gail pursed out her lips and shifted her eyes upward. After approximately ten seconds she responded, "I could use a shower, actually, if that's okay" Gail offered. "Sure, yes, of course. Follow me." Gail followed Holly to the bathroom and turned on the water for her. She disappeared into her bedroom and grabbed Gail some soft and comfortable jammies. She snatched two towels for Gail out of the linen closet and returned to the bathroom. She knocked lightly and peeked around the door to find Gail only wearing her black undershirt and a pair of black panties. Holly instantly bit her lip and averted her eyes. Gail smirked for the first time that evening at Holly's embarrassment. "It's okay, Hol. Thank you for the towels and pajamas." Gail chuckled lightly as Holly smiled her lopsided half-grin at her. "I'll be out on the, on the um, on the couch." Holly managed to stutter out a reply as she hastily closed the door.

Holly meandered through her apartment, opened her fridge, poured herself a glass of water and ambled to her couch. She took a swallow of the water and placed it on a coaster on the table in front of her. She found she was quite nervous at having Gail in her apartment. She recognized that in some small way something in their relationship had shifted with that kiss in the interview room and the hug at the hospital. She was not exactly sure where they stood, however. This ambiguity was a fact that her logical brain refused to accept. She knew when she placed the short kiss on Gail's lips in the coat room of Frank and Noelle's wedding that there was a spark between her and Gail that she had not recognized up until that point. It was one of the reasons she left the wedding to go dancing. She was all at once surprised and delighted by her rash action and Gail's lips moving back against hers, however briefly. Then there was the night at the Penny. She looked up from the booth where she was sitting with her date and into the blazing blue eyes staring darts back at her. At this point she decided she and her date should go elsewhere. The fact of the matter was she only accepted this setup because her feelings for Gail were so muddled. She realized in the interview room that perhaps she was not feeling these emotions utterly alone. Then she was rebuked when she checked on Gail at the station, which left her swimming in vacillation once again. Yet here Gail was, in the shower, in her apartment because she told Holly she needed her. The recollection of the utterance in the car caused Holly's heart to skip a beat and her breath to hitch. She lifted her legs off the floor and pulled them into her chest.

She heard the bathroom door open and Gail strode out in Holly's clothes with wet hair dripping on her shirt. It was all Holly could do not to stare at the beautiful woman striding towards her. She was breathtakingly gorgeous in such a simple outfit with wet hair. Holly unconsciously bit her lip and looked down at her knees. She felt a sudden dip in the couch next to her and turned to her right to see Gail sitting beside her. "Was your, was your shower okay?" Holly inquired, as she smelled her shampoo and body wash on Gail. "Mmm" and a soft smile was the only reply she received. The two women sat in silence on the couch for a few minutes. Abruptly, Gail leaned over Holly and reached for her water glass on the table. Seeing Gail stretched over her like that made Holly's mind go blank and her body go rigid. She sighed at the loss of contact when Gail returned to her spot on the couch, clutching Holly's water glass. Gail promptly finished off the glass of water and looked over to Holly. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind" she said quietly. "Oh, n-no. Of course not." Why did she always turn into a stuttering mess around Gail recently? "Holly…" Gail started, faintly. "Thank you, for being there for me." "Always" Holly responded without a second thought. "I'm exhausted" mentioned Gail offhandedly trying to shake a yawn away. "Oh, right, of course you are. Um, well the couch is here and my bedroom is down the hall." Holly managed to say. Gail stood up languidly, placed the glass back on the coaster and proceeded to stroll down the hall. Holly sat silently watching her drift away. Not knowing where she was going to sleep she sat there in quiet deliberation. She did not wish to assume Gail wanted to share a bed with her—even if that bed was her own. She was just pulling the throw blanket on the back of the couch over herself when she heard words softly called from the bedroom "Holly, you coming to bed?" She cursorily replaced the throw back on the couch, walked down her hallway, entered her bedroom and closed her door. Smiling to herself when she saw the beautiful girl that she cared so much about snuggled up under her down comforter.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two weeks since she had heard from Gail. Two weeks since Gail slept in her bed and wrapped herself in Holly's arms. She had woken up that morning to find Gail already fully dressed in her uniform. It seemed as if she was quietly trying to escape the apartment before Holly woke up—and she almost succeeded. "Good morning" Holly had said sleepily. "Mmm, yes. I have to go to work. I'll see you later" was all Gail replied with before leaving the bedroom, the apartment, and then Holly's life for the last two weeks. Initially Holly had attempted to contact Gail a few times with light-hearted text messages. When she realized that Gail simply was not going to respond she quit all together.

The more she considered their current state of affairs the more she realized Gail was probably just scared. Maybe she just needed some time? Holly knew she had seen another side of Gail that night at the hospital and then at her apartment. She had seen Gail completely stripped of the ice shell that protected her. She was raw and vulnerable. Holly assumed that inadvertently showing that part of herself to Holly had frightened Gail off. Hence, the two weeks of complete and utter radio silence. No texts, calls, or even air balloon telegrams from Gail. She even went so far as to avoid her at work, only sending the person she was partnered with into the morgue if they were ordered to go there on a particular shift. Holly was unsure what it would take to make Gail see that her insecurities and vulnerabilities were not going to scare her away. She was uncertain how to maneuver the delicate balance that allowed her to get what she wanted and not rush Gail or push her away further. She was not even in a relationship with Gail and it was already the most complicated relationship she has ever been in. She was more than willing to complete these trials, however, because she knew Gail was worth it. She felt that in their kiss and the way Gail felt in her arms. Now, if she only knew how to proceed.

Gail had been very focused on her work for the last two weeks. She was diligent and methodical at every aspect of her job, but she was silent. Her demeanor was calm but those who knew her best understood that she was like a duck on the pond, calm above the surface but swiftly kicking beneath it. Nobody knew what was going on with her because she rebuffed everyone's inquiries with silence and a deadpan stare. This was worse than her snark and they all were wishing it would return—that the Gail Peck they knew would reappear.

Gail's mind was swimming with thoughts constantly while she was driving the squad car on patrol with Chris. How could she be so stupid as to want to jump into somebody else's arms so soon after the heartbreak Nick had caused her? Was Holly just a rebound? She instantly pushed this thought out of her mind. A rebound was something Gail Peck could handle. Holly was something much more to her and she discerned it. She was very cognizant that this deeper level of emotion she felt for Holly was the reason she could not bring herself to speak to her in these last two weeks. When she woke up the morning after the hospital wrapped in Holly's arms she felt…_at home. _This feeling had petrified her and it unquestionably was not something she had experienced before. She was never so at-ease in someone else's presence and she certainly never felt at home in a new place. Hell, she barely felt at home in her own bedroom in her shared quarters with Chris and Dov. She felt at home in Holly's bed and in her embrace, nonetheless. How could someone so easily remove the walls she had spent her entire life composing? Nobody had yet to completely breach them and Holly was so close in such a miniscule amount of time. Gail simply could not figure out what it was about Holly that left her so unhinged. She considered the fact that she would need to move on from Holly. She could not possibly be with somebody who left her so exposed. Vulnerability was a weakness and Holly bared that within Gail. She could not , no, must not proceed she decided. If she kept this radio silence, maybe Holly would move on from her. Perhaps Holly would forget their kiss and the night she held Gail in her arms. Maybe if Holly forgot these moments, then she would, too. While Gail had comprehensively decided that this was the best course of action, she could not help but feel an intense sadness wash over her. Then everything changed with one radio call. It crackled to life to inform all officers that a bomb had gone off at the morgue.

Gail whipped the car around in an illegal U-turn and drove fast and heedlessly towards the morgue screaming at Chris to respond to the call. She was sure they were the closest unit to the morgue and, sure enough, they were the first to arrive. She opened the door hastily and deftly and began running at full speed towards the entrance. "Gail! GAIL! You cannot go in there! We need to wait for the bomb squad!" She heard Chris plead, but she didn't care. Holly was in there. Her Holly. She ran through the smoke filled corridors to find Holly's lab. Gail was immediately concerned when the most amount of smoke she had seen was pouring out of Holly's lab area. She ran in with reckless abandon, calling Holly's name repeatedly. Gail found Holly up against a set of filing cabinets. She did not look good. Gail began shouting into her radio for an ambulance and she slid on her knees to Holly. Holly was conscious, but just barely. She looked up from her slumped position against the filing cabinets into Gail's ocean blue eyes. "Hey, you came" Holly breathed out using her remaining energy to give Gail her trademark lopsided smile. Then her world went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Gail began to panic. "Holly, HOLLY!" but there was no response and she knew there wouldn't be. She was also cognizant of the fact that she probably shouldn't move Holly incase she had a spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, the smoke was too thick and she was beginning to feel light-headed herself. She discerned that if she did not get Holly out of there they were both going to be irrevocably trapped. With a strength she wasn't necessarily aware she had Gail gingerly picked up Holly and carried her across her body. She searched for the best way out of the lab area after finding the door she had come through led to a hallway that was entirely engulfed in flames. She stepped out the side entrance and followed one of the only hallways that did not have smoke that was too thick to see through or flames leaping from the walls. She was relieved that after several twists and turns she saw her very own oasis: the glowing red word EXIT. She walked as quickly as she could to the door and stepped outside. The scene out there was insane, police, firemen and EMTs everywhere. She carried Holly to the closest ambulance and only when she put her down on the gurney did she realize how much that took a toll on her. "I'm riding with you" she managed to breathe out to the EMT. She left no room for discussion when he looked up at her and received an icy glare back. He closed the doors to the ambulance and they were off.

Holly awoke in a hospital bed completely unaware of why she was there. She looked to her left to find Gail gently holding her hand, sleeping hunched over with her head on Holly's hospital bed. She looked disheveled, to say the least. She was still partially in her uniform. Her Kevlar vest and uniform shirt were slung over the back of her chair and she was only wearing the undershirt. She had large gauze wrapping on her left arm. She had taken off her utility belt which was on the floor beneath her chair. Looking at her beautiful face Holly noticed there were very dark circles under Gail's eyes. Holly decided it would be best to let her continue sleeping—she certainly looked as if she could use it. Furthermore, Holly was just happy to be in Gail's presence, even if it was in some strange hospital room.

About an hour later Gail stirred. Holly gently brushed her thumb over the back of Gail's hand, which fully awoke her. Gail looked quite startled "Holly…" she gasped out weakly. "You look surprised to see me. How long was I out?" "This will be day four." "Oh, that's not good. I don't even remember what happened. The last thing I recall I heard several loud noises, they sounded like explosions, when I was running some tests in my lab." "Somebody bombed the morgue, Holly" Gail replied sadly. "Oh, oh my god…is everyone alright?" "An intern died, everyone else is fine or has minor injuries. You have the worst injuries of the survivors," Gail stated as gently as possible. "I…which intern?" "I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I don't remember the name. I've been preoccupied worrying about you. I promise I'll find out and tell you" Gail responded. With that, she pulled out her phone and texted Chris. "Listen, I have to go to the bathroom. Chris is coming in to keep you company while I'm gone. Do you need any food? I could stop in the cafeteria and get you something?" "Pudding, please." "Alright, one pudding coming up." Gail softly smiled, stood up and walked out of the room when Chris arrived.

"How did I get out of the morgue?" Holly asked him immediately upon his entry. "I was on patrol with Gail when she we got the dispatch that the morgue had been bombed. We were very close at the time so she turned around and raced on over. She got out of the car and ran into the morgue without backup or the bomb squad to get you. She came back out about fifteen minutes later carrying you. She found you slumped over by a row of filing cabinets…" "I was all the way across the room at my desk when I heard the explosion" Holly interrupted. "Yeah, the force of the blast…it looks like you had the presence of mind to jump away from the explosion but your jump and the force of the blast sent you clear across the room. You have a few broken ribs, a lot of bruises, and a large bump on the back of your head. The doctors say you should be fine, though, just fine." Holly smiled weakly at him. "How long has Gail been here?" "She hasn't left once. She had me bring one of her spare uniforms from home because she noticed the nurses don't mess with her if she wears it." "Oh?" Holly chuckled. "Yeah, the day we brought you in they threatened to kick her out of the room and she told the nurse she would find a reason to arrest her if she didn't shut up, get out of her way, and let her stay." Holly smiled her lop-sided grin. "So she changed out of the uniform she found you in and has kept this one on so they don't try to remove her from your side. The entire nursing staff is terrified of her," Chris acknowledged. With that statement Gail sauntered back into the room. She had two pudding cups for Holly and water for herself. "Thanks Chris" she said quietly and he took it as his cue to leave the room. "I'm glad you're awake, Holly. Gail was petrifying when you were unconscious." He smiled at Holly and chanced a look over at Gail who was, of course, glaring at him. His smile widened and he left the room.

Gail took Holly's hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "Hol, I'm so sorry. I'm so so very sorry" she breathed out quietly. "I was stupid…and I was…foolish. I had convinced myself that the best thing to do was just to not see you. I'm not emotional. I'm not an emotional person usually and…" she hesitated and shifted uncomfortably. Holly kept the patient silence while Gail struggled to find her next words. "You make me feel things I don't understand. When I'm around you I feel like I'm…I don't know…losing all control. Reactions with you are instantaneous. There's this spark I've never felt before. I feel like maybe I am damaged and you're the only cure. It scares me…I…I screwed up. I did exactly what I told you I do on the first day you met me and…you don't deserve that, you didn't deserve that and I'm sorry. I'm sorry it took this drastic event for me to realize how much I screwed up. I'm not an easy person and I know that. I understand I don't deserve your forgiveness and if you don't want to give it…I…I'm saying too many words. I don't talk this much. I'm sorry" "Come here" Holly whispered gently. "I can be such an idiot…" Gail huffed. "Come here" Holly whispered again. Gail stood up slowly and leaned over Holly's frame on the bed until their eyes met. Holly brought her hand up to stroke Gail's beautiful blonde hair and gently pulled her face forward. Holly crashed their lips together and their kiss was slow and sensuous. When they finally broke out of the kiss Holly looked up into Gail's ocean blue eyes and whispered

"You have no idea how much I missed you."


	4. Chapter 4

"Gail…where exactly are we going" Holly ventured to ask. Gail merely chuckled at her. She met Holly at the morgue to pick her up. She asked if she could use the restroom to change. Holly told her sure and finished up some work while she waited an unusually long time. Now they were in the car and Holly was blinded by whatever it was that Gail tied over her eyes. "What did you put over my eyes?" Holly asked, hoping she'd managed to get at least one answer out of Gail this evening. "Uh, my uniform tie?" "Gail, your uniform tie is a clip on…" "Okay fine!" she huffed "I borrowed it from Dov." "Let me get this right, you borrowed a tie from Dov to tie around my eyes?" Gail nodded and then realized Holly couldn't see her. "Pretty much, yep. I'm very resourceful." "Are we there yet?" Holly groaned out. Gail merely chuckled again. "It's not like you to be so impatient, doctor." "It might be the blindfold…" "Oh yeah? Well, I like you antsy" Gail responded teasingly as she pulled into a parking space and cut the engine. She hurried out her door and ran around the car to let Holly out.

Gail looped her arm around Holly's and led her to the door. She unlocked it and walked them both in. She had cleaned her apartment and put up small twinkling lights in her bedroom. She had blind folded Holly because she did not want her to see her before their date began. She decided that since she made Holly wait so long to see her because of her stupid mistake that she would make sure it was worth the wait. "We're not moving anymore!" exclaimed Holly. "Does that mean I get to see again?" she asked hopefully. Gail simply chuckled again and stepped forward, now standing so close to Holly she felt her warm breath upon her skin. She slowly untied the tie and removed it from Holly's eyes. Holly blinked rapidly a few times before her eyes settled on Gail and she felt her heart skip a beat and she realized she wasn't breathing. Gail had her hair down and it was falling in loose cascading curls. She was wearing an incredibly form fitting black dress and she looked…perfect. "Holly" Gail whispered, "you're staring…" I can't help it" Holly said softly "Y-you're so beautiful." Gail reached out to stroke Holly's cheek and gave Holly her best Gail Peck smile. "So you are, I spend all day thinking about how beautiful you are." "Oh, really?" Holly quirked an eyebrow and flashed her lopsided grin. "Shut up." Gail said as she playfully swatted Holly's shoulder. "So, uh, I ordered food and it should be arriving soon. I really had a great date planned but with your…" Gail trailed off and sadly indicated Holly's midsection "ribs…and your other injuries I didn't want to make you do too much." Holly could see Gail's eyes fill with self-doubt. This usually confident and self-assured woman was worried about what she would think about a date. It flabbergasted Holly that she could cause such a reaction in Gail. She grabbed Gail's hand and gently tugged her into an embrace. "It's perfect, Gail. You're perfect." With that comment Gail visibly relaxed. She pulled Holly over to the couch and they sat wrapped up in one another. They sat in a comfortable silence for some time before Holly interjected "I will always chase you, you know?" She looked at Gail who scrunched her eyebrows together and replied "Hmm., what do you mean?" "I mean if you run…if you jump out of the tree and run I'll always chase you. Even if I have to run around the entire world multiple times." Gail said nothing, she simply turned herself around so that she was facing Holly and crashed her lips into Holly's. She kissed Holly with a fervor she wasn't aware she could feel for anyone and their kiss sent sparks shooting throughout her entire body. When she broke the kiss she whispered, "Please do…" so softly that Holly barely heard it. She would have thought she merely imagined it but Gail spoke again just as softly "The only place I want to be is wherever you are."

The doorbell rang and startled both women on the couch. "The food, of course it would arrive now" grumbled Gail. She opened the door and dealt with the deliveryman bringing the food in for them to enjoy. Gail set the table and refused to let Holly assist. They ate the delicious meal Gail had ordered. "Thanks for dinner, it was wonderful." Holly said when she had finished her entire plate of food. "Well, it was either order this or serve you the five star cuisine that is cheese puffs" Gail laughed.

After cleaning up dinner they spent some time talking on the couch. Gail looked at the clock and realized how late it was getting. "Holly, do you want to go home or…or you could stay here." Gail looked at her hopefully. "Well, I am too smart to turn down an invitation to stay with you." Holly responded with a smile. With that, Gail led Holly to her bedroom. "I need to get out of this dress." Gail stated and winked at Holly, who was sitting on her bed. Gail slowly began to get undressed taking her time and stealing short looks over her shoulder at Holly. She was down to her bra and panties when Holly's voice broke the silence. "Come here" she said huskily. Gail looked back at her and smiled she looped her arms behind her back to unclasp her bra when Holly spoke again "Please…please, Gail... Come here. Now." Holly's voice was so filled with lust it was all Gail could do keep herself upright. Somehow she managed to take the few steps to the bed and she crawled on top of Holly. She leaned down and nipped softly at Holly's neck and began lavishing it with kisses. Holly let out a soft moan and Gail stopped her ministrations on Holly's neck. She looked down into Holly's eyes and breathed out "I'm here…now what?"


	5. Chapter 5

Holly pulled Gail flush to her body and kissed her hard. Her tongue pushed for entrance into Gail's mouth. Gail let her pass and Holly's tongue explored her mouth wildly. She slipped her tongue back out and memorized Gail's lips with her own lips and tongue. Gail trembled beneath her and began tugging at the bottom of Holly's t-shirt. Holly nipped, kissed, and sucked her way down Gail's neck and Gail moaned out "This. Off. Now" as she pulled Holly's shirt over her head. She had never wanted to see somebody's body so much before. Holly was beautiful, absolutely stunning. Gail had to touch, at that moment it was an absolute compulsion for Gail. "Holly…" she breathed out as she slid her hand up Holly's torso to her chest. Holly saw the question in Gail's eyes and nodded her affirmation. With reassurance, Gail moved her hand to Holly's chest and her nipple responded automatically to Gail's touch. Upon seeing this, Gail had to have her mouth on Holly. She could not quench the desire she felt for this woman. She kissed Holly hard on the mouth and slowly began trailing her kisses down to Holly's chest. She hesitated briefly while hovering over Holly's breast. She nervously looked up to Holly for confirmation and Holly smiled her lopsided grin back. Holly's eyes were filled with lust and the combination of the two drove Gail's desire even further. She dove in, suckling on Holly's breast, fueled by the fury of her yearning. Holly's soft moans drove her crazy and she felt as if she was going to explode just from hearing her whimpers. Gail couldn't wait any longer—she was driven by her desire. She circled her tongue around Holly's nipple with fervor. She nipped and bit at it until Holly was wriggling beneath her and had tangled her hand in Gail's hair. Gail moved her mouth off of Holly's left breast and payed equal attention to her right while toying with Holly's left nipple with her hand.

Holly could not stand Gail's teasing any longer. She flipped Gail over so she was beneath her. "Gail" she whispered. Gail moaned in response. "You're wearing too much…" Holly said as she reached around Gail to unclasp the offending bra. Holly looked down at Gail with her breasts exposed after the removal of the bra and couldn't think. She could hardly breathe. Never had she seen anything as beautiful as Gail without a shirt and bra. She began lavishing Gail's chest as Gail had done with her. She was egged on by Gail's soft moans and began diligently kissing her way down Gail's body. She kissed and gently nipped her way across the top of Gail's panty line. "Gail" she whispered huskily as a means of permission. "Please, Holly…I need you to touch me." That was all the consent Holly needed as she slid Gail's panties down her legs. Gail's quick intake of air set Holly on edge. She had to have her now. She slid her hand down Gail's abdomen at a slow and agonizing pace. Gail's body was trembling beneath her and she could feel Gail's breath quicken and her heart beat pound wildly out of her chest. Holly was well aware how much Gail needed her but she couldn't help but tease her. She kissed and nipped the inside of each of Gail's legs from her knees upwards. Gail's knees were quivering and her breathing was out of control. "Holly…please. Please. I need you. Now." Holly slid her eyes up to Gail's and was weakened by the passion she saw in Gail's eyes. She thought, at that moment, that there was nobody who had ever looked at her with such desire-filled eyes. Holly couldn't hold out any longer she had to touch Gail. She slid up Gail's body and kissed her passionately. Meanwhile, her hands slid in between Gail's velvety folds and she gasped at the wetness she found there. Never had she been so turned on by the want another woman felt for her, but as she looked into Gail's lust-filled ocean blue eyes she could no longer stand the teasing anymore. She had to taste her. She kissed her way back down Gail's body with an agonizingly slow pace as her fingers still worked all of Gail's sensitive areas at her core. She slid her fingers down to Gail's opening and slid them in. This elicited a loud moan and shudder from Gail. Holly began kissing the entire area around the area Gail wanted her to be as she quickly moved her fingers in and out of Gail. Gail's moans were getting more and more erratic and Holly knew she wouldn't last much longer. She quit her ministrations on Gail's thighs and moved her mouth to where she knew Gail most wanted her to be—to where she wanted to taste. God, Gail tasted delicious. She wasn't sure she'd ever get enough of this woman. She circled Gail's clit hungrily while continuing to pump her fingers in and out of her quickly. She suddenly felt Gail's hand tangle in her hair, pushing her further into Gail's center. Holly obliged and began moving her tongue and fingers faster and in sync. Gail began writhing beneath her, her breath and moans quickened, and Holly knew she was close to the edge. Holly ran the flat of her tongue over Gail's clit and began hooking her fingers inside Gail to hit her most sensitive spot. "Yes…Holly…Yes!" she cried out as her orgasm rocked through her.

Holly didn't stop—she couldn't stop. She had to hear those moans again. She had to hear her name called out in Gail's breathy voice again. She needed to feel Gail's body shatter below her again. She rode out Gail's orgasm and continued her pattern. She moved her free hand up to Gail's chest and began tugging at her left nipple. Gail began responding immediately. Her moans were back and even wilder than before. She was pressing Holly's face harder into her. She begged her, she begged Holly over and over to make her feel the way she just had. She had never felt this way with anyone. Never had anyone been so in tune with what she needed. Holly was. She didn't stop. She kept her ministrations going and Gail's breath began to rise rapidly. She began begging Holly to go faster—Holly obliged. Her tongue was circling and her fingers were pumping as quickly as possible when another orgasm ripped through Gail's body. Gail's hips thrust up into Holly's mouth and hands but Holly was latched on and did not let go. Gail began chanting her name as she let go and it was all Holly could stand. With strength she did not know she had she moved her hand quicker in time with Gail's orgasm and her mouth feasted on her with a hunger she had only felt for this woman. When she could stand no more Gail collapsed on the bed bringing Holly down with her. Holly kissed her way back up Gail's body to her lips and she kissed Gail hungrily. Gail tasted herself on Holly's lips and moaned aloud. "You're amazing," she breathed out. "Oh yeah?" Holly replied. "Well, you taste amazing." Gail moaned in response to Holly's comment and rolled over to place herself on top of Holly. "Well, now it's my turn to taste you…" Holly couldn't stifle the loud moan that escaped from her mouth.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you everyone for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows they are all quite delightful. (:**

Gail sat at her desk pretending to do paperwork. She figured if she looked like she was concentrating hard enough people might believe she actually was and leave her alone. Of course, she was concentrating, just not on paperwork. She contemplated how she had allowed Holly to get so close to her in such a short amount of time. Everything about Holly absolutely baffled her. Her beauty was astounding, her personality was incredible, and sex with her was mind blowing. Gail had always assumed that the cliché about feeling or seeing fireworks with another person was just that—a bullshit cliché. With Holly, there were fireworks and so much more. Something this perfect had to crash and burn though, right? Things like this did not come to Gail Peck without a price and Gail wondered how high that price would be and whether she would be able to afford it. She was pretty certain the things she was feeling for Holly were not in her normal range of emotions—and that was terrifying. She wondered briefly what would happen to her should Holly decide she no longer wanted to be with her. Gail already had enough issues trusting people and she did not need more. Feeling vulnerable was not something she excelled at yet; unfortunately, it was always something she felt. Something was different about Holly, though. When Holly looked into Gail's eyes her eyes showed no malice. They were kind, compassionate, and lustful all at the same time. Everything Gail felt about Holly reflected right back at her every single time Holly looked into her eyes. It was kismet. Why, then, was Gail so afraid to lose her? Why was she so afraid Holly would leave? Past experience, she was sure, played a factor but she knew Holly wasn't like her former relationships. Holly had reached a level deeper in Gail than anyone else had and she was positive that this is what was terrifying her. She had to put an end to these thoughts. She needed to see Holly—to see her stability. Gail realized Holly was her crutch and she knew Holly was aware of it as well. It lightened her heart to know that, in Holly, she had someone who would catch her if she fell. She grabbed her phone and shot a quick text off to Holly.

"_Shift is over in thirty. I'm picking you up so be done with your nerdy things and ready to go." _

A few minutes later, a reply.

"_If I wasn't such a nerd you wouldn't like me as much. (; See you soon."_

Gail could not help the smile that crept on her lips as she read Holly's response. She fully entrenched herself in finishing her paperwork so she would not be delayed.

When Gail arrived at the morgue Holly was sitting on a stool wearing her jacket and holding her bag waiting for Gail.

"You're three minutes late."

"Aw, did you miss me so much you had to count the minutes until you saw me?" Gail responded back with her usual sassy tone.

"Maybe." Holly grinned at Gail and hopped down from her stool.

"Where are we going?" Holly inquired.

"Wherever I take you."

"Ah. That clears things up." Holly smiled again and followed Gail out to the car.

They drove for a bit and finally stopped in the parking lot of a park on the beach. Holly raised her eyebrows inquisitively at Gail who only waggled hers back in response. They both got out of the car and Gail ran over to Holly, grabbed her hand, and dragged her to the swing set. Gail hopped on a swing and began swinging. Holly simply stood there with a goofy smiled splayed on her face.

"Well," Gail said. "Are you coming?"

Holly nodded and mounted the swing next to Gail's while laughing. She began to swing and matched Gail's pace. Gail smiled over at her and tried her hardest to outswing Holly.

"Okay, now when we match each other's rhythm again I am going to count to three and we're going to jump off the swings. Whoever goes the furthest gets to decide what we do next." Gail proudly announced.

"Oh, you're so on."

Gail slowed her swinging down to match Holly's pace. When they were in-sync she shouted "1…2…3!" and they both jumped from their swings and flew through the air. Holly landed with a thud onto a soft patch of grass and very shortly after Gail landed right beside her.

"And what exactly was your plan if we landed side-by-side?" Holly managed to ask through her laughter.

"I didn't plan anything! I fully expected to kick your ass." Gail grinned and rolled herself on top of Holly.

"Although this is much nicer" she said as she languidly ran her hand up under Holly's shirt to the base of her bra.

Holly's sharp intake of breath told Gail that Holly approved. Gail looked down into Holly's beautiful eyes and saw everything in them—all of Holly's feelings spread out before her like an open book. She realized at that moment that whatever the price she had to pay for Holly—she would pay it and more. She bit her lip for a brief moment before deciding she needed her lips on Holly's lips. Now. She crashed their lips together and moved her hand the last centimeter that was required to slip under Holly's bra. She touched Holly's nipple as her tongue pushed for entrance into Holly's mouth. Holly's moan set her on fire. She moved her other hand up to Holly's hair and gently ran her fingers through it. She knew they couldn't stay in this compromising position for much longer in the middle of a park so she broke away from Holly. When Holly's eyes fluttered open at the loss of contact Gail grinned down at her and hopped up to her feet.

"Why do you do this to me?" Holly groaned.

"I love seeing you squirm. Race you to the slide!" Gail stuck her tongue out at Holly and raced off to the big slide.

Holly pushed herself off the ground and ran after Gail. They climbed up the play place to the entrance of the slide. Gail sat down to go down the slide and Holly quickly followed suit. She pressed herself up against Gail's back. She wrapped her arms around Gail and used her feet to push them off down the slide. When they reached the bottom they were both laughing.

"I wanted to take you here on our first date" Gail revealed "but I knew it wouldn't work with your injuries."

"You wanted to take me to a playground on out first date?" Holly chuckled.

"Well, it's unique…and we deal with sadness most of the day everyday. I thought we could use a little innocent happy." Gail huffed out.

"You're right, nobody has ever taken me to a playground on a date." Holly smiled at Gail and continued to hold her close at the bottom of the slide.

"Well, I'd hate for you to think I was boring, nerd."

"I don't think life with you could ever be boring."

"Mission successful!" Gail exclaimed as she tilted her head back to kiss Holly. The kiss became very heated and Holly had to break it. She was already swimming in desire—she didn't want to drown in it just yet.

"You feel hot, officer" she said as she placed her hand on Gail's face.

"Yes, hot for you" Gail breathed out.

Holly moved her lips back to Gail's and slipped her tongue in her mouth. She loved exploring Gail's mouth and knew she would never tire of it. Gail moaned into her mouth and Holly reluctantly broke the kiss again.

"I should get you home…you know…to check on that hotness. You could have a fever. I think the best place for you now is my bed."

Gail looked back at Holly with eyes swimming in lust.

"I think you're right" she managed. "Take me to your bed."


	7. Chapter 7

Holly crashed Gail into the door to her building and fumbled for her keys while Gail was feverishly kissing her neck. When she heard the lock tumble she twisted the handle and pushed Gail through the threshold and up against the wall. Gail hit the wall with a thud and a moan and looked down to realize she already had most of the buttons on Holly's shirt undone. She groaned as the sexy bra that was holding Holly's beautiful breasts was exposed. She was certainly entranced. "Mmm, see something you like?" she heard Holly breathe out. Hearing Holly's voice in her low octave sent Gail's mind spinning uncontrollably. She flipped their positions and shoved Holly up against the wall. Holly stared into Gail's eyes and pulled the blonde's lips to meet her own. The kiss was not gentle. Gail broke the kiss and managed, "Yes" as she roughly kissed her way down Holly's face, neck, collar bones, and sternum to finally find her chest. She quickly bit lightly down on Holly's left breast, which elicited a moan and a shudder from the woman in front of her. She immediately chased the rough nip with a soft tongue and lips. She licked, sucked, and nipped Holly's breast until Holly was shaking under her touch and then, with a controlled passion, did the same to her other breast. She was fully intent on making Holly beg for what she wanted tonight because nothing drove Gail crazier than to hear Holly beg in her lust-filled voice. From the way Holly was shuddering and moaning she did not think it would take long to hear Holly's begs.

She stopped what her mouth was doing on Holly's breast and coarsely kissed her way back to Holly's lips and kissed her with a fervor fueled by all of her passion. She then kissed back down leaving a trail of red blemishes along Holly's skin in her wake. She kissed and nipped her way down Holly's stomach to her pants line. Gail deftly unbuttoned and unzipped Holly's jeans and pulled them quickly down her legs. Gail then continued kissing and nipping along Holly's panty line while listening to Holly's hums of pleasure. She kissed down the front of Holly's underwear to the spot she wanted most to be—but she was waiting for Holly to beg. She teased at Holly's panties with her tongue for a few moments before she heard Holly gasp out, "Gail…please…" Gail smiled to herself knowing she was about to get exactly what she had been waiting for. "Please, what, Hol?" she smiled and then kept her tongue running along the length of Holly's center above her panties. "Pl-please…" Holly managed to rasp out. "Mmm, that doesn't answer my question" Gail said the words between the slow torturing of her tongue and then she gently nipped at Holly's center. "Damn it…Gail. Fuck me. Please…please fuck me."

The words uttered in Holly's breathless voice were more than Gail could handle. She swiftly slid Holly's panties down her legs and immediately placed her mouth on the uncovered area. She circled her tongue around Holly's clit to tease her before running the tip straight up the center while sucking gently on her clit. Holly shuddered under the blonde's tongue. Gail used flattened out her tongue and ran it frantically, yet methodically, along Holly's center. She felt Holly's left hand tangle in her hair and saw Holly reach her right hand out to steady herself against the wall by holding onto the doorknob of the coat closet. Gail felt Holly's legs shake around her. She inched her right hand up and entered Holly with two fingers quickly. Holly moaned very loudly and moved her hips against Gail's hand. "Gail…please…I need you." Gail smirked into Holly and ran her tongue up and down Holly's center a few more times before sucking on it gently and letting go.

Holly groaned at the loss of contact but was placated shortly after when Gail kissed her way back up Holly's body. She nipped and sucked at the base of Holly's neck while using her height as leverage to push her fingers harder and faster inside of Holly. The harder and faster Gail moved the more she could feel Holly come undone in front of her. She kissed her way to Holly's mouth and shoved her tongue inside in desperation. She wrapped her left hand around Holly's neck and opened her eyes to look into Holly's. Gail gazed deeply into Holly's eyes and said, "Come for me, Hol. Please...God…come for me." Holly closed her eyes and moaned loudly. Gail moved her lips back to Holly's and kissed her zealously as she began to feel Holly's entire body shake beneath her. Holly's moans began to get louder and louder. She hummed out Gail's name in time with Gail's thrusts until she tumbled beautifully over the edge. It was all Holly could do to stay on her feet and not collapse to the floor pulling Gail down with her. Gail's thrusts slowed and when she felt Holly stop clenching around her fingers she gently removed them from Holly and kissed her. Holly smiled lazily at Gail and followed the smile with a kiss to Gail's forehead. "Now," Gail whispered "I think you said something about taking me to your bed…?" Holly flashed her lopsided grin, grabbed Gail's hand, and dragged her to the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Gail woke up with a throbbing head in her hotel room. She had been staying in the room as part of an undercover assignment for nearly two weeks. After her last night with Holly she was pulled on this assignment. As of late she had found it to be a complete waste of time. The drugs didn't appear to me matriculating quickly and they had, as of yet, been unable to establish any solid lead within the cartel's vast network. She stumbled out of the bed, concerned because she was still wearing her uniform. She grabbed her phone off the arm of the chair and realized that the date was much different than she thought it was. Shouldn't it be Wednesday? The phone must be broken, she assumed. There was no way it was already Friday. She opened the door into the hallway. She knew that a _Toronto Sun _newspaper was generally waiting in the hall for her in the morning. The papers were stacked at her door, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. _"What the hell?_" Gail thought to herself and walked back into her room. She headed to the bathroom to wash up and collect herself.

Gail stepped up to the mirror and looked at herself for the first time. She was disheveled, to say the least. She had a long cut down the right side of her face that had dried blood caked down the bridge of her nose. Her uniform sleeves were rolled up, uncharacteristically for her. Her arms looked as if a cat had scratched them the cuts were larger at the top and tapering away towards the bottom of the scratches. Her watch was missing from her left wrist. She _always _wore her watch while in uniform. Suddenly the realization hit her. "_Why am I even wearing my uniform, I am on an undercover assignment?" _She could not figure out how she had lost two days, was beat to hell, nor why she was wearing her uniform.

She exited the bathroom and returned to the chair where her phone had been sitting. She dialed Swarek's number because he was her contact for the operation. After three rings he picked up

"Peck, where the hell have you been?"

"Huh?" Gail managed to say.

"I haven't heard from you in two days! You had a meet with Lopez two nights ago and I haven't heard from you since. I've called you several times but you haven't answered."

"I don't…know. I don't remember anything from the last two days. I woke up expecting it to be Wednesday, Sam…" Gail said in a small voice.

"Well, I went over to your hotel room and knocked, no reply. The maid let me in however you weren't there." That's when it hit Gail. This wasn't the same room she had been staying in previously. She ran over to the nightstand and checked for the placard telling her the name of the hotel. She read the name and address to Sam and asked him to please meet her there and to bring forensics, something was off. Gail sat down in the chair and hung her head in her hands as she waited for Sam to come. He arrived about thirty minutes later.

"Peck, what the hell happened to you, are you okay?"

"I – I don't know."

"Alright, listen. Just sit still, stay put I'll handle this. Forensics will be here soon."

Gail continued to seat in the chair beginning to feel increasingly numb. She wracked her brain trying to remember the last two days but it was an absolute blank slate. She knew she had to piece the puzzle of the last two days together for anyone to figure out what had happened, but how could she re-canvas her steps if she had no idea where to begin? The thought hit her instantly she spoke up.

"Sam, you should call the hotel I was staying at. Figure out, at least, when I checked out if not why."

"Yeah, right, on it."

Gail heard Sam dial the phone and sat there quietly until a knock resounded on the hotel room door. She opened it to find Holly standing there with her lunchbox and a couple of forensics guys behind her.

"Holly, what are you doing here. There is no need for a pathologist."

Holly stepped forward until she was standing mere centimeters from Gail.

"You, I'm here for you. Are you okay?" she whispered gently.

Gail merely gave her a slight shade of her head and pulled Holly in for a tight hug.

"I don't remember anything, Holly, nothing" she whispered.

"It's okay, sweetie, we will figure this out. You'll be fine." Holly gave Gail what she thought was her most reassuring smile.

"I need to swab the cut on your face and take finger nail clippings. I'll also need a urine sample. With the memory loss you're experiencing it is highly likely you were drugged." Holly said as gently as possible. "I'll need to take you back to the lab. Let me go tell Swarek and make sure the forensics people begin their sweep. Then we can leave."

Holly walked off in the direction of where Sam and the two-forensics techs were conversing. Gail felt deflated. She had taken this assignment in hopes that it would bolster her application for the detective rotation and, as with most things in her life, it had turned into a huge disaster. She felt a soft warm hand cover hers and looked up into Holly's concerned eyes.

"Are you ready?" Holly said gently.

"Yeah…yeah. Lets get out of here."

* * *

Gail and Holly had been at the lab in the morgue for several hours. The results were finally in and Holly did not like what she was reading.

"Hey, you, no worries. I just need to call Swarek with the results. I just need to step out for a moment, okay."

Gail merely nodded and Holly stalked out of the room and dialed Swarek's number.

"We have a huge problem" she stated by way of greeting.

"Tell me."

"The blood under Gail's finger nails matches a body that just came into the morgue yesterday. I've triple checked the results."

"You're shitting me."

"I wish I was. What's worse is that the toxicology panel I ran came up clean. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that Gail wasn't drugged. Many drugs would leave the system in this amount of time. GHB, for example, will leave the blood stream after eight hours and wouldn't show up in a urine sample after twelve hours. I took both samples from Gail, but it is most likely she was drugged outside of the time range."

Holly tried to keep the panic out of her voice over Gail's situation by stating facts, facts usually calmed her down. It did not work in this case. She was well and truly panicking—not because she believed Gail could have committed this murder—but because she believed Gail was being set up for it and she wasn't sure how to prove it wasn't her.

"We both know she didn't do this. I will try to retrace her steps from the last two days beginning with the hotel she was supposed to be staying at. When I have something I will bring her in for questioning. Until then, keep her with you and keep her safe. If she remembers anything call me immediately. Tell her what you've found and see if that stirs up anything, it probably won't but we need a straw to grasp at."

With that Swarek hung up and Holly walked back into her lab and saw Gail slumped in a chair. She walked up to and grasped her hands pulling Gail up to her full height. Holly released Gail's hands and brought her own up to cup Gail's face. She pulled her in for a long and deep kiss.

"We'll figure this out. I promise." Holly stated firmly.

Holly proceeded to tell Gail what she had found and Gail listened silently while wrapped in Holly's arms. It wasn't long after that Swarek entered the room. He had a grim look on his face as he stepped up to Gail.

"Gail, I'm sorry. I have to place you under arrest. It's procedure. It's bullshit, but it's procedure. We have to do this by the books."

"What are you talking about?" Holly said defensively.

"We found another body at the place where Gail was supposed to meet Lopez. Lopez and the man in the morgue you connected with Gail through finger nail scrapings were the two contacts she was supposed to meet that evening. I need you to head to the crime scene after I take Gail into 15. Getting all the facts can only help her. Got it?"

Gail felt as if she broke under those words. She felt Holly try to hold her back but she walked towards Sam.

"You don't need to use the cuffs, I'll come willingly." She hung her head low and followed Sam. When she was at the threshold about exit Holly's lab she turned and looked at the beautiful woman she knew would figure out a way to exonerate her of this.

"I didn't do this, Holly."

"I know you didn't."

"I didn't do this because my life is finally…. I'm finally happy."

"I know you didn't do this. I believe you."

"I didn't do this because I love you. I love you and I would never do anything to mess that up. Never. I love you and I just thought you should know."

Gail turned and walked away leaving Holly's reply hanging on her tongue.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reads this for sticking with me as I fumble, surely poorly, through writing this story. Your reviews, follows, and favorites are appreciated. (:**

Holly was sleep deprived, to say the least. She had run everyone in her lab absolutely ragged and all of their combined efforts had only, thus far, served to prove Gail's guilt—a guilt Holly knew Gail did not have. Holly sat slumped over her metal table replaying her and Gail's greatest hits in her mind, starting with Gail telling her she loved her. She recalled those blue eyes blazing with a passion for her—a belief in her—at a time when those eyes should have showed a resignation. Gail's eyes had showed a fierce strength when her own eyes, had the situation been reversed, certainly would have shown defeat or despair. Gail, however, was a fighter. She was stronger than she ever gave herself credit for. Now she needed Holly's strength and Holly felt as if she was doing nothing but making the entire situation worse. Gail had told her she loved her, three times to be exact. The last of the three nearly breathed out in a breathless whisper. When she looked into Gail's eyes at that moment she found love, hope, and passion in those beautiful blue orbs. How, in that moment, could Gail's mind be so focused on Holly and not the mess of a predicament she found herself ensconced in? Holly had wanted desperately to tell Gail she loved her too, but the reply died on her lips as she stared back at Gail slack-jawed. The only things she could hear in that moment, despite the commotion, was the pounding of her own pulse and the lightly whispered declaration of love. Gail had flashed her a reassuring smile as Swarek walked her down the hallway. At a time when she should have been calming Gail and making sure Gail knew how much she loved her, Gail was doing those very things for her.

Holly's mind wandered to the night Gail had danced with her in her apartment. Her iPod was hooked up to the stereo and candles were lit all over the living room and _Best Song Ever_ by Gabrielle Aplin was playing softly through the speakers.

"_Seriously, Holly, a One Direction song?!" _Gail chastised her.

"_Which direction?" _ Holly quipped. _"This is Gabrielle Aplin"_

"_Well, maybe, but this is a One Direction song." _Gail playfully mused.

"_Not on my iPod it isn't." _ Holly chuckled.

Holly swung around and pulled Gail off the couch smiling.

"_Dance with me?" _Holly waggled her eyebrows while wrapping her arms around Gail's neck. They swayed back and forth melding the curves of their bodies together to form one entity.

"_Said I had a dirty mouth, but she kissed me like she meant it." _Gail bellowed out, eliciting a laugh from Holly.

Holly looked deep into Gail's eyes—and she kissed her like she meant it. Holly brushed her left hand up Gail's neck to cup her face and drew Gail's lips towards her own. She could feel Gail's pulse quicken under her touch. She crashed their lips together slowly at first but with an intensity that reached it's crescendo when she pushed her tongue into Gail's mouth. Their tongues met wildly and Holly felt Gail's hands slide up from her waist leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake as Gail slid her hands under Holly's shirt to the wire of her bra. Holly gasped as she broke the kiss to move her lips down Gail's neck to her sweet spot. When she nipped and sucked at it Gail let out a breathless,

"…_fuck, Holly, what are you doing to me?"_

"_There's that dirty mouth, again." _Holly teased.

"_You. Love. It." _Gail enunciated each word slowly, grinning back at Holly before kissing her again.

Holly snapped herself out of the memory that felt so vivid and real. She had known for a while that she was in love with Gail. Nobody had ever made her entire world seem to crash down around her feet like Gail did with just one glance. She knew, nonetheless, that she needed to wait for Gail to make the first move lest her vulnerabilities push Holly away. Even without words, Holly had known Gail loved her. Every action Gail made showed her this without a shadow of a doubt. The way she stared at Holly when she walked into a room, for an instant frozen in time, her eyes softened and a smile instantaneously tugged at the corners of her mouth. Gail's love was shown in the way she touched Holly, gentle enough so as never to hurt her, yet firm enough to show Holly she revered her. Holly could feel Gail's love in the way she kissed her. No matter if it was a soft peck or a long bruising kiss there was a sincerity and passion in Gail's kiss that Holly had never felt from anyone else before. Gail's thirst for knowledge in the things Holly excelled at showed her love, too. She read Holly's publications; she eagerly soaked in knowledge when Holly shared it with her on a case or at home. She read the books on Holly's bookshelf in her downtime when Holly wasn't with her in order to feel closer to the brunette. Holly would come home and almost always see a different book bookmarked on her coffee table. She loved the quiet intelligence that she found in Gail's eyes. Perhaps the most telling, however, is that Gail would always kiss Holly good morning and good night when they were together, even if they were in an argument.

One morning they were in an argument about something so silly Holly couldn't even recall what caused it anymore. Gail was on her way out the door on her way to work. Her hand was on the doorknob to leave when she turned around and briskly walked back to Holly. She leaned in and kissed Holly with a passion that left Holly wanting to simply melt into a puddle on the floor of her apartment.

"_Wh-what was that for?" _Holly sputtered out.

"_Just because we are in some stupid argument—and even if it were a more serious argument—I could never leave you without giving you a good morning kiss. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I…that I care about you. That you're my person. How will you know if I don't give you a good morning kiss?" _With that Gail kissed Holly lightly on the lips again and sauntered out the door to work. Holly had always wondered if Gail had contemplated telling her she loved her then and there.

Sitting in the sterile cold atmosphere that was Holly's lab made her ache for the warmth that was Gail. She glanced at her clock; finally realizing that she had been there all night and it was now morning. She needed a break to wrap her mind around where to proceed from here. She had no intention of giving up on Gail and she would exhaust every mental faculty and every resource she had to prove that Gail had nothing to do with this. For now, however, she needed a bit of time away from her lab to gain some perspective, to consider where to go beyond the tests she had already run. What she needed, she realized, was to see Gail. She stood up quickly and purposefully shoved herself into her jacket and left the morgue for the first time in twenty-five hours.

Holly arrived at 15 after what seemed like an eternity. She strode in searching around for Swarek. When she found him she blurted out some bogus excuse about collecting more forensic evidence from Gail (much in the way, she realized, she had come up with the equally lame excuse of a sick courier the first time Gail had kissed her). She bit her lip at the fib she told Swarek and he flashed her an understanding smile. While he was walking Holly down to the holding cells he reported that he hadn't yet gleaned any new information from Gail and that it was his hope that, with a bit more time, she might remember something. He unlocked the door to Gail's holding cell and backed up into the hallway.

"I'll let you have the room," he said as he headed towards the end of the hallway.

Gail looked up from her lap and saw Holly. There it was, the slight pause in all movement, the softening of her eyes, and the smile on her lips. Holly stepped forward and pulled Gail into a fierce hug. Gail buried her face into the crook between Holly's neck and shoulder and stood there breathing Holly in.

"I've missed you so much…" Gail breathed out.

Holly bit her bottom lip before letting her lips form into her lopsided smile. She knew it wasn't an appropriate time to be smiling; yet she couldn't help but smile in Gail's presence.

"Please know that I am doing everything I can…" Holly began, but Gail cut her off.

"Hol, I trust you. I know you won't give up on me."

Hearing Gail say she trusted her had hit Holly almost as hard as the three words she uttered the night before. She knew trust did not come easily for Gail and the circle of people in this world that Gail actually did trust was incredibly small and seemed, generally, to shrink—not expand. Holly felt extraordinarily special to be placed within such an exclusive group in Gail's life.

"N-never. I will never give up on you." Holly said, with conviction. "A-anyways, I came over here because it's morning…"

"Morning?" Gail smiled a small smile at the woman she loved.

Holly pulled Gail's lips to her own and kissed her with all the yearning she had gathered in a frightful night without Gail. When she broke the kiss she whispered,

"Your good morning kiss. I couldn't let you go through this day without you knowing how much I care about you…and how much I love you."

Gail hesitated before responding, "You love me?" in a whisper.

"I do. God, I do. I am going to figure this out, okay? I promise" Holly said hearteningly and flashed Gail what she hoped was a very comforting smile.

Gail kissed that smile right off of Holly's face. Holly saw Swarek coming back down the hall and backed away from Gail.

"I'll see you later, alright? Don't worry, I've got this. I've got you."

Holly smiled at the beautiful woman she loved as she backed out of the cell. Gail sat down and looked into her lap. Right before Sam shut the door, she looked up into Holly's eyes again. There it was—the strength and resolve but the passion for Holly, as well. These emotions were all swimming in those beautiful ocean blue eyes. When the door was shut Holly spoke to Gail before following Swarek down the hallway.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you. Do you hear me? I promise.

"I know."


	10. Chapter 10

Gail sat on the small cot in her cell, her mind wandering. She had been trying desperately to keep a calm demeanor and an even keel. As the days progressed this tranquility was becoming harder and harder to hold onto. She certainly meant every word she uttered to Holly—she had complete faith in her and her extraordinary mind and forensic abilities. She also knew Holly would not quit until she found the truth. However, that was exactly what Gail was beginning to fear—the truth. Could she have murdered these men in self-defense or a deal gone bad? She knew, for sure, that she had the capacity to kill someone. Hadn't she trained to do just that in the academy? It was hard-wired into her system to protect herself by the means of a barrel of a gun. After all, wasn't that what her entire life as a Peck had prepared her for? As time passed doubt crept into the crevices of Gail's mind. With doubt came fear. What if she truly had done this? Self-defense was one thing. However, what if she had done this simply because she was drugged. What if she was a cold-blooded killer? She tried to wish memories of that night into existence but they wouldn't matriculate and the more times she failed to remember anything the more anxious she became. To keep herself calm she tried to spend most of her suddenly vast amounts of free time thinking of Holly to keep her distracted.

The truth of the matter was that thinking of Holly could easily keep Gail inattentive to her current quandary and content for hours. Holly made her feel absolutely electric as if her battery was fully drained while away from Holly and as soon as she saw her face it was if Holly was a charging system that completely replenished life within Gail. While she sat there considering how strongly she felt attached to Holly her mind zipped back to a conversation they had a few weeks ago in Holly's apartment. Holly was sitting on the couch and Gail was in the kitchen fidgeting with the coffee maker trying to get it to brew.

"_Come here" _Holly demanded.

"_I can't just yet. With as difficult as your coffee maker is to get working I am convinced it's actually a device used for world domination." _Gail responded, irritably.

"_Coffee isn't important. Come. Here." _

Gail heard the first few drops of the coffee as it flowed through the percolator.

"_Ah ha! I bet if we turned on the news we would find a nuclear strike occurred somewhere on Earth. The damn devil device is now brewing deliciousness!" _Gail turned around and smiled triumphantly.

"_Gail, come here." _Holly insisted.

"_Ooo, pushy pushy" _she teased as she headed towards the couch and sat down straddling Holly's lap. _"You know, Holly, I was only gone for five minutes and I was a mere four meters away from you. Are you so desperate for my touch?" _

"_I can't help it. You're like the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's hybrid magnet."_

"_I'm what now?" _

"_Uh, well, it's the most powerful steady field magnet in the world. 45 tesla."_

"_Holly, English is my native language. Let's use that to talk to one another from now on." _

"_Well, tesla is how magnetic field strength is measured. So say, the typical refrigerator magnet is approximately .01 tesla. So 45 tesla is incredibly strong—by far the strongest in the world."_

Gail scrunched her eyebrows and spoke hesitantly _"So… what you're saying here is I am one kick ass magnet?" _

Holly smiled and kissed Gail on the nose. "_What I am saying is I am incredibly drawn to you. For me, your magnetic field strength is astronomical. I-I mean the first time I saw you in the woods…I couldn't help but smile. You were so…"_

"_Cute?" _Gail interrupted.

"_So…"_

"_Ooo., sexy!" _ She interjected again.

"_So…adorably annoying" _Holly finished.

"_What!? I was not annoying! I was effective."_

"_Yes, effective at drawing me to you. See, 45 tesla. Then you spent the entire day in the lab with me…and I didn't want you to go. I just wanted to learn everything I could about you and when we finally split—our banter done for the day—I was worried, I was worried I wouldn't see you again. I did, though and here we are. I just can't get enough of you…45 tesla."_

"_Well, the nerd empire will rejoice at the accomplishment of one of its beloved nerds finding such a smoking hot girlfriend and using an unbelievably nerdy method to explain attraction."_

"_More like fiery hot, you know, because fire is hotter than smoke…"_

"_Holly, does your overly large brain ever turn off?"_

"_Well, actually, the average weight of an adult human female's brain is about 1198 grams. Our brain size, therefore, would be roughly the same."_

"_HOLLY!" _

"_What?"_

"_You talk a lot. So many words. Always. So many words."_

"_You like it. Remember, 45 tesla, babe." _ Holly leaned in and kissed her and managed to keep her up several hours later than she had intended.

Gail was startled out of her memory by the sound of her door opening and she looked up to see the very woman she had been thinking about. Holly looked worn down. She had dark circles under her beautiful eyes and her usually perfect posture was slumped a little as if a great weight had been placed upon her shoulders, and Gail supposed there was a weight there—the weight of her freedom. She suddenly felt awful for the toll this situation was taking on Holly. Yet Holly managed to assuage those dreadful thoughts with one lopsided grin. It was as if, in that moment, she and Holly were the only two people in the world and all of their current troubles did not exist. She reached out her hand and grasped Holly's belt and pulled her into a long and extraordinarily tight embrace. Holly kissed her lips, her cheek, and her ear lobe before whispering

"Good morning, love."

Gail felt her heart skip a beat between each word Holly spoke to her. She gently used her hold on Holly's belt to pull her over to the cot. They sat down next to one another and Gail grabbed Holly's hand and clasped it tightly.

"You're the only thing keeping me sane in here" she confessed.

"I know, I promise I've not given up. Can you recall anything at all yet?"

"Holly, it's all blank. Completely blank. The harder I try to think about it the more I realize there's just nothing there. So instead I sit in here and I think about you. I think about you for hours because you're my anchor and sometimes I'm worried if I don't…I'll float out to sea. "

As she was saying these words she was fully aware that this was not something the old version of herself would ever admit to anyone. She would never admit that she needed someone so desperately. At first she tried to convince herself that it was just because her life hung in the balance and her fear prompted such a vulnerable and open statement. However, upon deeper reflection she realized it was just Holly. She felt safe with Holly in a way she had never experienced in her entire life. She felt like she could open herself up to Holly without fear or rejection or loss. It was undoubtedly a wholly wonderful yet altogether terrifying feeling.

Holly squeezed her hand and placed a soft kiss upon her lips.

"I won't let you go anywhere, do you understand? Wherever you are, I'll be there, too. L-listen, I came to give you your good morning kiss and to inform you that I've made progress. I might be onto something that can help us out of this bind, okay? When I know for sure I promise I'll come tell you immediately."

"Holly…" Gail breathed out "I am so glad Swarek is sneaking you in here. What would I do without my good morning kiss?"

"I intend to make sure you never have to find out." Holly said before leaning down to place chaste kisses along Gail's neck in the spots that she knew drove the blonde crazy. She ceased her ministrations on Gail's neck and place one last deep kiss on her lips. She quickly squeezed Gail's hand and stood up to leave.

"I should get going back to the lab and see what progress has been made. We're getting somewhere, I promise. " She smiled at Gail

Gail returned the smile and stood up to give Holly one last kiss before she walked out the door. While she was standing in the threshold of the door the brunette turned around and said,

"Remember, babe, 45 tesla"

Gail chuckled and smiled acknowledging Holly's meaning. Holly turned to leave and the door shut behind her. Gail crept back to the cot and sat down pulling her knees up beneath her chin.


End file.
